Wireless communication devices have become smaller and more powerful in order to meet consumer needs and to improve portability and convenience. Consumers have become dependent upon wireless communication devices such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, and the like. Consumers have come to expect reliable service, expanded areas of coverage, and increased functionality. A wireless communication device that is utilized by users in a wireless communication system may be referred to as a mobile station, a subscriber station, an access terminal, a remote station, a user terminal, a terminal, a subscriber unit, user equipment, etc. The term “mobile station” will be used herein.
A wireless communication system may provide communication for a number of cells, each of which may be serviced by a base station. A base station may be a fixed station that communicates with mobile stations. A base station may alternatively be referred to as an access point, a Node B, or some other terminology.
A mobile station may communicate with one or more base stations via transmissions on the uplink and the downlink. The uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the mobile station to the base station, and the downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the mobile station. A wireless communication system may simultaneously support communication for multiple mobile stations.
The term “transceiver” refers to the combination of a transmitter and a receiver. A mobile station may include one or more transceivers. The transmitter portion of the transceiver within a mobile station may be used for transmitting signals to the base station via the uplink. The receiver portion of the transceiver within a mobile station may be used for receiving signals from the base station via the downlink.
Similarly, a base station may include one or more transceivers. The transmitter portion of the transceiver within a base station may be used for transmitting signals to mobile stations via the downlink. The receiver portion of the transceiver within a base station may be used for receiving signals from mobile stations via the uplink.